Jerry_B

The DX sounds really really good (I have one) but tends to suffer from neck dive...

The only thing aside from that which might slightly effect the tone would be the fingerboard wood on a fretless bass. But that still may eventually be down to what you can hear/want to hear

[quote name='noelk27' timestamp='1327625219' post='1514567'] More bang for the buck going for older BB models, either of the BB200 or BB300 on eBay at the moment would do a better job. If the OP goes for a big-name company, such as Yamaha, he should be looking at the bottom of the range from the late 70s all the way through the 80s. Either that or the lesser factories/makes of the day, like Columbus, Cimar (as mentioned), Kay, etc. [/quote] Maybe, but then there's always the chance that the OP might end up with a duff one, for which money has to be spent to revamp it. That may effect the budget

Get a Yamaha BB414...

Fretless is all I play nowadays. I've always preferred unlined ones. I've got a MIJ Fender Jazz and a pimped '80s-era Maya Pbass that has a maple neck. I also tend to play with a plectrum, often as not.

One man's poison is another man's meat. Taste is entirely relative. Personally I don't go in for the slap happy or Jazz Odyssey noodling, but I don't think worse of people who find it floats their boat. The only problem I have is when anyone tries to imply that one style is [i]better[/i] than another, or that a bass player is better than another because they play fiddly stuff. That just reminds me of daft endless pointless discussions about guitar solos I used to have at school when I was a metaller...

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_Y8ToKXNFg[media]

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1327521835' post='1512921'] It's been proven by another thread over on TalkBass that in a mix a all that really matters is the pickups and the electrics and then the EQ'ing. Things like build quality and wood do come into it but in a mix? I'm not so sold.[/quote] Yep, I agree totally. If you can get the sound you want, and are playing a bass that works for you, it doesn't matter if the bass is cheap as chips as a chunk of wood and some metal bits. And only other (snooty possibly) bass players in the audience will really take any notice, and maybe not at all if they don't know what you were playing when recording a track.

The band I'm in are gothy/industrial/punk/somethingorother. Aside from that I tend to play along at home to punk, two-tone, dub, and various alternative stuff.

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1327400386' post='1510458'] Same with my mystery Jap and many more besides but my suggestion could still help the guy if it doesn't. [/quote] Of course. Just trying to help

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1327391800' post='1510318']Does a Fender pickguard's fit perfectly onto yours without showing any of the control rout and all the screw holes match up? That's a good sign to look out for.[/quote] Maybe it's not more of an indicator of a Fender though. Fender bits and bobs - especially the pickguard - fit my old Maya P bass copy without any issues.

Blimey, hark at you lot - and here's me thinking that anything over 350 quid needs more thought...

[quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1327242016' post='1508172'] Lovely Antoria fretless Precision [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-1978-MIJ-Antoria-2367B-Fretless-Precision-Bass-Copy-Ibanez-Fujigen-/160720913993?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item256bb68649"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item256bb68649[/url] [/quote] Another one in Edinburgh via Gumtree: http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/fretless-bass/95178421

There's also a nice black unlined fretless Thunder 1-A for sale over at Ebay: [b][url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Westone-Frettless-Bass-Guitar-/180802008998?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item2a18a3b7a6"]http://www.ebay.co.u...8a3b7a6[/url][/b]

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]I still have the Spectrum DX I got second-hand in 1988. The only fault I've ever been able to find with it is neck dive. Aside from that, it's great to play, sturdy and I've always really liked the sound of the Magnabass II (?)[/font][/size] pickup.

[quote name='Maarten_E' timestamp='1327270027' post='1508750'] @JerryB: Such kit, does it come with a Pickguard as well?[/quote] No - you can just attach it to the one you've got.

Get a Pbass solderless wiring kit from KiOgon - cuts out alot of work and very handy (and cheap)!

Damn - missed that one! Maybe it'll get re-listed...

I'm the opposite with my fretlesses - if the action is too low, they end up being too prone to buzzing and losing their tone. Maybe the moral of the story is that some things may be dependant on taste and maybe the kit you're using

I bought a Bosss TU-2 tuner from Nik. This was sent along to me very quickly and was very well wrapped!

Sounds to me like the tone needs some more mids and a tad more bass. I also think that the piano is cutting into things (but maybe that's because the fretless tone needs a bit more beefing up).

I used to use my fretless Jazz, but have now gone over to using a fretless Maya Pbass as it just has more oomph. That said, their have been recording with both now for the tracks I've been recording over the past few months. The Maya will also get used for gigs - try as I might, the Jazz just sounds too thin and reedy!

Spanish Peaveys... T-40 [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN7PBhqv534[/media] T-60 [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-HWbVU2BIw[/media]

Would the body wood make alot of different once anything has to go through the bridge first? I imagine that there would be some damping there (or maybe I'm wrong)...